Ji Mo quickly withdrew his hand and pressed his ear against the Sky Mending Stone, trying to confirm if he had misheard.
It was truly bizarre. A stone suddenly emitting such a strange sound was incredibly unsettling!
However, silence reigned, and the sound was no longer audible.
"Did you hear anything?"
He turned to Molun beside him and asked.
Molun blinked his eyes and replied, "Ying ying ying."
Ji Mo's forehead instantly creased with annoyance. "What the hell is with your 'ying ying ying'? Believe it or not, I'll beat you until you're spitting teeth."
Honestly, what was this grown man doing making such sounds?
Sensing Ji Mo's displeasure, Molun trembled in fear and quickly changed his tune, "Ying ying ying ying."
Ji Mo finally couldn't hold back and clenched his fists, ready to throw a punch.
"Mr. Ji, I really heard those four sounds, 'ying ying ying ying.'"
Molun hurriedly explained, even resorting to oaths.
He truly wasn't lying to Ji Mo; that was precisely what he heard.
"No, why did I hear something different?"
Ji Mo muttered. He distinctly heard, "What are you doing?"
However, after a moment's thought, he understood.
The sound was in an ancient language, or perhaps a dialect, that Molun likely didn't understand, so he mistook it for "ying ying ying ying."
It was clear this fellow wasn't serious at all.
"Could it be that a Monkey King was born inside this thing?"
Ji Mo carefully observed the Sky Mending Stone, thinking its size was indeed comparable to an ordinary monkey.
Moreover, there was a precedent in mythology: the Great Sage Equal to Heaven was said to have been conceived from a Sky Mending Stone.
"I don't think it's a monkey. It's a cute, adorable 'ying ying' creature. That sound just now was really pleasant to hear."
Molun's face was filled with lingering fondness.
He felt that even his beautiful and alluring junior sister, when she deliberately softened her voice, didn't sound as pleasant.
If there was truly a female being hidden within the stone, and he could raise it from a young age, the thought alone was exciting.
"'Ying ying' creature, you idiot. It's definitely a monkey."
Ji Mo retorted, holding onto his conviction.
Monkeys were so much better. If cultivated well, it might even become a Great Sage Equal to Heaven.
"Yes, Mr. Ji, a female monkey isn't impossible either."
Molun chose to compromise, but he still firmly believed it was female, as a male's voice couldn't possibly be so pleasant.
"You're the monkey."
The voice came again, tinged with anger and indignation.
Clearly, it couldn't stand being mistaken for a female monkey.
"Mr. Ji, it 'ying-ed'! It 'ying ying ying-ed' again."
As expected, Molun still heard something akin to "ying ying ying." He truly didn't understand the other party's language.
Ji Mo's eyes lit up, and he directly pulled out the Zhu Xian sword.
He intended to split the colorful stone open to see what kind of creature was inside.
"As the saying goes, when countrymen meet countrymen, they stab each other in the back. We're both from Shenzhou, why must we harm each other so?"
The voice came again, filled with grief and indignation.
The other party's words made Ji Mo lose the urge to act.
The word "countrymen" was simply too endearing.
It was certain that the being within the Sky Mending Stone possessed extremely high intelligence and was very likely a fellow countryman.
Ji Mo sheathed the Zhu Xian sword and sent Molun away, wanting to have a proper conversation with the entity.
Molun was reluctant, thinking, "Seriously, why is Mr. Ji hoarding all the good stuff?"
"Who are you?"
Ji Mo cut straight to the chase.
But the other party remained silent, seemingly too lazy to bother with Ji Mo.
"Great Sage?"
"Goddess Nuwa?"
"Brother Leng?"
...
Ji Hanhan was guessing wildly, clearly none of them were correct, as they elicited no reaction from the other party.
"Stop guessing. You wouldn't understand even if I told you."
Finally, the other party couldn't stand it anymore and replied.
Ji Mo extended his hand, "If you don't tell me, how will I understand?"
He was now beginning to somewhat agree with Molun's guess; there was indeed a high probability that the entity was female.
"It's not that I won't tell you, but I cannot. Once you know my name, there's a chance I could be sensed by them, and in the next moment, they would project here and completely erase me."
The other party sighed faintly, their voice filled with a sense of weakness and exhaustion.
"Who is 'they'?"
Ji Mo quickly asked, then soon realized, "Could it be the source of darkness, that eternal being?"
Perhaps only that entity possessed such power!
The other party sighed again, clearly acknowledging Ji Mo's conjecture.
This sent Ji Mo's heart into turmoil.
So, the being inside the Sky Mending Stone was a powerful figure!
Otherwise, it wouldn't have survived. This showed it possessed unfathomable strength.
"I am too heavily injured and can only cling to life within the Sky Mending Stone. When you absorbed me, you almost took my life. Youngster, absorbing external power to increase your cultivation is a lesser path. Only by unlocking your own potential and continuously breaking through your physical limits is the true way."
The other party possessed extremely profound insights into cultivation and offered Ji Mo a piece of advice.
Their tone carried a hint of resentment. They had been hiding peacefully underground, only for some reckless youngster to come along and nearly drain them dry.
The special energy contained within the Sky Mending Stone was scarce and precious, and Ji Mo had absorbed a considerable amount, which caused them great pain.
"There's something wrong with my body. Perhaps you could take a look for me."
Ji Mo felt a bit awkward and humbly requested.
He truly wanted to understand what was happening with himself.
The Five-Colored Sky Mending Stone glowed faintly, and a colorless halo extended outwards, probing.
However, as soon as it touched Ji Mo, the other party let out a startled cry and decisively severed that halo.
Immediately after.
The Five-Colored Sky Mending Stone suddenly erupted with resplendent light, and a terrifying aura spread out. Inwardly, a figure could be vaguely seen forming seals, seemingly preparing to act.
Ji Mo once again took out the Zhu Xian sword, and a sharp sword aura erupted, piercing the heavens and the earth.
If the other party truly intended to attack him, then he wouldn't hesitate to retaliate.
"The Zhu Xian sword has already recognized you as its master. It seems you are not them. You startled me."
The light of the Sky Mending Stone quickly receded, and the overwhelming pressure vanished like a tide. The figure retracted their aura.
Ji Mo found it inexplicable. What was the meaning of this? Their mood changed faster than flipping a book.
"I mistook you for them."
The other party explained, "They reside high in the nine heavens, feeding on all things in the world, harvesting all living beings, and devouring all life force. The fact that you could absorb my power, making me mistake you, is significant. But Zhu Xian recognizing you proves you are not them."
The person mocked themselves, realizing they were overly cautious. They had never encountered anyone else besides that entity who could absorb their power.
The other party continued, "I sense a similar trait in you to them. Your body truly has a problem; it's like a black hole, capable of absorbing all sorts of energy in the world. I worry that you might eventually become another them. But upon reflection, one mountain cannot accommodate two tigers. Given their nature, they would never allow such an existence as you to appear. Therefore, it's best you don't attract their attention, or your end will be certain. If you don't want to die, then lie low and survive."
"Lie low? Then how will I grow?"
Ji Mo shook his head. Being a turtle hiding in its shell was not his style.
Only by strengthening himself would he possess the capital to fight back.
"What? Judging by your tone, you still intend to fight them? Your courage is commendable, but perhaps you should reconsider. They are... invincible..."
Within the Sky Mending Stone, the person's tone carried a deep sense of powerlessness.
Bloody facts had already proven that there was no chance of victory, and all resistance was futile.